Cheri Dixon, center, the new principal at Moulton Extended Learning Center, has a background similar to many of the Des Moines students that she serves. She grew up in a broken home in Mason City.

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It's the first full week of classes at Moulton Extended Learning Center, and new principal Cheri Dixon already feels at home.

Through the years, students at Moulton, located at 1541 Eighth St. in Des Moines, have racked up a wide variety of accomplishments. The school has produced academic all-stars, talented poets and bilingual leaders.

But those achievements have been made in the face of adversity. More than 88 percent of the school's students in 2012-13 qualified for free or reduced-price meals, an indicator of poverty. ...